The invention relates generally to ground support equipment for aircraft. More specifically, the present invention relates to a modular support cart for providing electric power and conditioned air to an aircraft.
In the aviation industry, a wide variety of ground support equipment is available to provide electrical power and conditioned air, among other things, to aircraft. As will be appreciated, many aircraft are capable of generating their own electric power, such as through the use of onboard generators powered by engines of a particular aircraft. However, because of fuel consumption, it is generally desirable to disable such engines when an aircraft will be stationary on the ground for any sustained period.
Because the internal power generation systems of such aircraft depend on the operation of the engines, and because aircraft are rarely configured to directly interface with power ordinarily available at a facility, external ground power units (GPUs) or carts including power converters are frequently used to supply electric power to components and systems of aircraft when the aircraft engines are disabled. For instance, GPUs may be advantageously utilized to provide electric power to aircraft parked at terminals, in hangers, on runways, or some other location, which facilitates operation of a number of aviation systems, including communications systems, lighting systems, avionics, air conditioning systems, and the like, while the aircraft engines are powered down. Additionally, the power provided by GPUs may supplement power provided during operation of the engines while an aircraft is on the ground. Further, other ground equipment or carts can be utilized to provide conditioned air to the environmental control systems of an aircraft to enable temperature regulation of the cockpit, the cabin, storage areas, and components of the aircraft.
However, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art, not all aircraft are designed to utilize power having the same characteristics. For instance, some aircraft utilize alternating current power, while others utilize direct current power. Further, even if two aircraft use power having the same type of current, such as direct current, the two aircraft may use power having different voltage characteristics from one another. Because present ground power units are configured to produce a specific output power, it is presently necessary to have a separate ground power unit or cart for each aircraft power standard that may be encountered. Currently, there is little alternative but to design, build and operate ground power units specifically designed to provide one type of power or another. Where multiple aircraft of different types are to be supported, different support equipment has typically been required. However, buying, providing and maintaining separate carts for each power standard is inefficient, and increases the costs associated with supporting a variety of aircraft.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved ground support cart for aircraft that allows the cart to provide power and conditioned air to a wide variety of aircraft, which may have different power requirements and standards, in an economical and efficient manner.